The Shepard
by Galexz
Summary: The Reapers are bearing down on the galaxy. Organics' survival hinges on the ever elusive Catalyst. Garrus Vakarian is sent to find it, but instead finds something more. For 50,000 years she slept: The greatest human to have ever lived, the most brilliant tactician, the most inspiring leader, and the most lethal soldier mankind had ever produced. He found Shepard. (kmeme prompt)
1. Prologue

**Author's note: **Hello everybody! For those of you that know, I have resurfaced! This story was originally posted on the kmeme and has yet to be updated recently. The reason for that is that I felt the story was going in the wrong direction. I have done some major edits and finally am ready to post my new and improved version! This chapter was beta'd by Pestomonkey (many thanks!) a while back. I think you will all be very impressed with the changes.

The plan is to post the first week of every month, so please follow me for updates! There won't be any more long hiatus and this will be completed. You may ask why I just don't post everything at once? Well, frankly, I want to give myself a bit of a buffer so I don't disappear again.

This story has consumed my life, am I am very happy to share it with all of you. As always, please read and review. Critical comments are always welcome. I love hearing from you!

The cover art is Charlize Theron, she's my Shepard when I'm writing this story (check her out in "Crossfire", that did it for me) If anyone wants to make a specialized art, let me know I fail at artistic endeavors. If you have a different Shepard in mind when you read, shot me a picture, I'd love to see it!**  
**

**Disclaimer: **Bioware owns all the characters and universe they live in.

* * *

** The Shepard - Prologue **

* * *

**"In the years since the war, I have often been asked why the humans did it. Out of everything they could have done to prepare the next cycle for the Reapers, why did they chose to leave us Shepard?**

**I ask you why not. Clearly she was all we needed." - Interview with Dr. T'soni, 2561**

* * *

**Arcturus Station - 48,000 BCE**

Arcturus never truly slept, being the last great watchman over humanity. The late hour, however gave Admiral David Anderson some much needed privacy. The last few hours - his arrival on the station, the meeting with the council and their decision - played over and over in his head. He needed space, he needed perspective.

What better to place to find that than in the heart of Arcturus: The Archives.

Until the war, the Archives had actually been three separate complexes: Eden Prime, Earth, the Citadel. They had been glowing examples of how far mankind had come since taking to the stars. And one by one, they had fallen. What little could be salvaged had been incorporated into Arcturus during the expansion fifty years ago. The data chambers were built directly onto the core of the original station, turning the outdated technology into an athenaeum that was all but sacred. It had seemed fitting, incorporating all of humanity's failures and hopes into one sanctuary.

The halls of the Archives echoed softly as Anderson walked through them. Motion sensors picked up his movement as he passed, activating holo vids and related articles. A flickering hologram caught his eye and he paused for a moment to watch.

_Codex entry: Dr. Josephine Silva._

_ Silva was the granddaughter of the great Mateus Silva who was the first to discover the ruins on Mars. Following in her grandfather's footsteps she became an archaeologist specializing in the protheans. Her tenacity led to the discovery of new beacons that had been left by ancient race. The technology had been purposefully hidden deep underground, away from ancient cities. The mystery of these beacons took years to decipher, but Dr. Silva's team identified the looming Reaper threat almost fifty years before the first sentinel appeared. During her time many had called her crazy, but with her family's fortune she had put together an archeological team dedicated to gathering information about the looming threat. _

_The following is a transcript of her first meeting with the human Council._

_Silva: We all know that the prothean dig site on Mars made it possible for us to develop faster than light travel and mass effect field technology. That is just the tip of the iceberg! The discoveries we've made there are-_

_Councilor Jones: Get to the point Doctor._

_Silva: I think I know why the protheans were on Mars._

_Councilor Hudson: We already know that. They were studying us._

_Silva: Yes, but we didn't know what they had planned for us, or even why they left. I found a data drive that talks about their observations and in it they mention something called the Reapers._

_Councilor Jones: What are Reapers?_

_Silva: I think they were the ones that wiped out the protheans. A synthetic race that lives deep in dark space._

_Councilor Morris: That's all well and good Doctor, but why do we need to know this?_

_Silva: Because I think they are coming back._

_End of transcript._

The hologram ended and Anderson sighed. That archeologist had been right, the Reapers had come. However, it had taken too long for the higher ups to listen. By the time the Alliance brass had come around, it had been too late. The Reapers had descended on them like a hammer.

Anderson shook his head and walked on. There was always the "what-ifs" that floated around. What if they had listened to Dr. Silva? What if they had prepared more? He wasn't much of a fatalist, but he had been on the front lines. They were technologically outmatched by the Reapers in every way imaginable.

Another room lit up as he walked by. The hologram was a picture of Admiral Bizri, the head of Alliance Headquarters when the Reapers first attacked.

_Codex Entry: The Outer Rim._

_The Outer Rim was the furthest reaches of human colonies in the Milky Way. Even with the use of the mass relays the trip was well over a week from the Earth to the nearest colony of Mindoir. These colonies were made up of scientists and terraformers, preparing the way for later human habitation. The colonies distance from Earth combined with a proximity to deep space made them easy targets for the first Reaper attacks, by the time that word had reached Earth there was little time to mount a defense. Admiral Nala Bizri mobilized the Eighth Fleet, but they too were lost._

_The following is a transcript from Alliance Communications in Vancouver. _

_Specialist Richards: We've lost the Outer Rim._

_[The Admiral looks up. The room stills.]_

_Admiral Bizri: What do you mean, Specialist?_

_Specialist Richards: There are no communications coming through. They've gone dark._

_Admiral Bizri: What about the Eighth Fleet?_

_Specialist Richards: A few distress calls came through, but we've lost their transmitters. All of them._

_Random Voice: NO!_

_Admiral Bizri: [The Admiral slams a fist down on the table.] Damn it._

_End Transcript_

The first attack had cut through their defenses and they had lost the colonies.

The loss of the Outer Rim was the first thing they taught in training, every recruit knew about it. The Reapers had systematically destroyed the communications relays. During the chaos, the Reapers had cut down the Eighth as they tried to defend the communication hubs. The fleet had been too spread out to do much of anything and in a few days as humanity had lost everything past the Nemean Abyss.

In recent years Anderson had taught the basic tactics class, it had become something of a speciality of his. His war tactics and understanding of Reaper movements had been what had earned him his promotion to Admiral.

_What good had it done_, he thought, _if the council still makes decisions without consulting the military branch?_

Another room lit up as he stormed along, lost in his own thoughts. This hologram wasn't a Codex entry, but an actual video from the Alliance News Network.

"_According to sources, Jump Zero has finally fallen after 30 consecutive days of siege by the Reapers. Admiral Nelson had this to say on the matter: 'The loss of the Gagarin Station is a major blow for the Alliance, but the Mars defenses are still holding. For now, refugee transports have to be put on standby until we have identified a safe way for them to travel through the Sol Relay.'_

_He refused to say more on the matter, but our reporter on the ground in London had this to add: 'The city has all but been evacuated and people have headed towards the hills. All that's left are the marines and a few militias that have taken to guerrilla warfare. The fighting is from house to house, but hopes are still high. Even with the news that Jump Zero was lost, the successes at Mars are constantly bolstering the troops. If Mars can hold, then maybe Earth can as well until the reinforcements arrive.'_

_This reporter hopes they will soon. For the Alliance News Network this is Emily Wong reporting."_

Anderson shook his head. The Fall of Earth had been devastating. If it had been a quick process it might have caused less damage. The siege on the Sol system had been long and drawn out. It had taken almost 10 years before Earth finally succumbed and with it, many soldiers lost the will to fight. In a war like this, morale is more important than anything. He hadn't been born yet when Earth fell, but he had seen what soldiers did when they felt like everything was lost. It did more damage than a gun ever could.

In the years following the loss of Earth, the Reapers swept across the galaxy causing a rift between the vast civilization. The colonies' core relays were connected by a few threads.

Even without hope, man's desire to live persevered and the relays stayed open. The fact that he was here was a testament to humanity's will to survive. Generation after generation of humans were born into the war and now there wasn't a single man, woman or child alive who had known a world without the Reapers. Surprisingly, that fact had been a turning point in the war.

Humanity continued to surprise him.

The shock of the first attacks faded into a distant memory and while each defeat was heartbreaking, it was routine. Each victory was a reason to celebrate, and each celebration strengthened their resolve. A new generation of soldiers rose from the ashes of defeat and the Second Wave was set in motion.

The room across the way flickered to life as if reading his thoughts.

_Codex Entry: The Second Wave_

_The Second Wave began almost 100 years after the initial attack of the Reapers. It began on Benning, the planet closest to Arcturus Station. What should have been a crushing defeat and the end of the Alliance turned into one of the longest and well known battles in the history of the Reaper War. _

_The military defense was headed by Captain Osoba. With a small military presence, he inspired the local farmers to take up arms and they were able to hold out until Arcturus could fend off the invasion. Together the incoming forces and ground militia were able to force the Reapers to retreat. In the wake of the victory, emotions ran high and Osoba took advantage of it and lead a huge recruitment drive._

_The following transcript is from a rally on Eden Prime. _

_Captain Osoba: We need you. Every single one of you. We can no longer hide on in caves and bunkers, hoping and praying that the Reapers won't find us. We need to fight!_

_[A cheer roars through the crowd.]_

_Captain Osoba: Benning showed us that if we come together, we can push the Reapers from our doorstep._

_[Another cheer.]_

_Captain Osoba: I am done living in fear! I will not wait passively for my death. If I go, I will take one of them with me!_

_[More cheers.]_

_Captain Osoba: We can do this. We can win!_

_End transcript._

Anderson walked on.

Captain Osoba had been pivotal in the success at Benning, and he was a personal hero of Anderson's. His determination in the face of adversity, the way he rallied his troops and the civilians to create a cohesive and successful counterattack to push back the invading Reaper ground forces was legend. Then, as if that hadn't been enough, the Captain had set out on a massive recruitment drive and succeeded.

Paths between colonies were strengthened, the Alliance fortified and expanded Arcturus and the war continued. The Reapers' conquests slowed and humanity's victories increased.

For a while, people began to think they might actually win this war. Anderson had been born during that time, in fact a lot of people had. The general elated feeling and multiple successes had led to a huge baby boom, and now most of those babies were soldiers.

_Osoba would be proud_, Anderson thought. Then the smile on his face left as the next holo started. It was another recording.

_**Alliance Records - Communications**_

_**To: Personal unit 12.24093.43**_

_**From: SSV Hastings via bridge QEC station 12**_

_Cpt. Shepard: Donnelly, what did you find?_

_Cpt. Donnelly: Its...it's already over._

_Cpt. Shepard: What do you mean?_

_Cpt. Donnelly: Most of the basic communications were blocked but...we intercepted this on the QEC. Shepard..I can't. Just listen._

_Unknown: If anyone can hear thi-Oh God. They're coming. Close the door! CLOSE IT!_

_[Unintelligible screeching. Metal scraping against metal as something is dragged across the floor.]_

_Unknown: Shoot it!_

_[Four shots fired. Sobbing in the background and labored breathing.]_

_Unknown: If anyone can hear this, we're trapped in a clinic on level C38. There's 10 of us and...What's the point? No one's coming. We're all going to- [Slap] Fuck you Jeremy. Just fuck you._

_Cpt. Shepard: What's the timestamp?_

_Cpt. Donnelly: Two days ago._

_Cpt. Shepard: I'll forward this to the Admiral._

_Cpt. Donnelly: They've been fucking with us Shepard. Right under our noses and we didn't...couldn't..._

_Cpt. Shepard: I know Donnelly. I know._

_**End Communication**_

The Fall of the Citadel. He had been there for that one, commanding the _SSV Tokyo._ The order to retreat hadn't come from Captain Donnelly, it had come from Captain Hannah Shepard.

That day had earned her promotion to Admiral, but she had hated every moment of it. It was why she stayed on a ship until the day she died. It was why they had been such good friends. Both of them wanted to be out there, and while Anderson's strengths kept him on Arcturus, Hannah's had kept her on the front lines.

The Citadel hadn't been the last human fortification lost in recent years. Eden Prime fell 15 years ago. Elysium 10 years after that and, most recently, Tiptree. Arcturus was the last well fortified position and the Atticus Stream had only one safe path of retreat remaining. There were systems completely lost and the Reapers were closing in.

If Hannah was still alive she would have been down here with him, pacing the halls in the middle of the night, racking her brain for anything that would help them out of their current situation.

_Hannah wouldn't let the Council go through with this_.

The Council and their team of scientists had come up with a plan. He had just been informed a few hours ago. He had never gotten along well with politicians, but this had been the icing on the cake of their stupidity. They wanted to send a weapon to the future to aid in the next cycle's war against the protheans before them had tried to do the same thing, preserving their race by putting thousands of their best scientists, soldiers and leaders into stasis, but the Reapers had found them and wiped them out systematically.

According to the Council, humanity wouldn't make the same mistake. Only one human with all the knowledge of the war would be sent into the future; a guiding light for the next apex species to follow. The candidate had already been chosen: Commander Jane Shepard, Hannah's daughter. They were going to take her off the battlefield and freeze her.

Why?_ Because humans are a bunch of vindictive assholes_, Anderson thought, finally stopping. Staring back out at him in a haze of blue light was Jane Shepard. Younger in the video than she was now, she was being awarded the Star of Terra. Hannah stood next to her as proud as ever.

The Shepard family had been a gift to mankind. From John, god rest his soul, who had died saving Horizon, to Hannah, who had sacrificed her ship so the Second fleet could retreat. Jane, their only daughter, was the hero of Eden Prime, Elysium and Tiptree. She was the best soldier he had ever seen.

_She deserves better_, Anderson thought as he watched her awkward acceptance speech. Public speaking had never been the woman's strong point. It hadn't helped that she was only seventeen at the time.

A man's voice echoed in the metal halls. "I thought I might find you down here."

Anderson looked up at the voice. He had missed the sounds of footsteps, but then again Admiral Steven Hackett had always been light on his feet. The man held a bottle of scotch and two glasses and took a seat on the floor, albeit it slowly. The war hadn't been kind to either of them.

With a raised eyebrow, Hackett looked at his friend. "Aren't you going to sit down?" He asked.

"I don't know," Anderson said, looking warily at the ground, "I'm not sure I'll be able to get back up."

Hackett laughed, and even though he protested, Anderson was already sinking down next to the other man.

"Learn anything?"

Anderson shook his head. "Just that politicians always make the same mistakes."

Hackett unscrewed the lid and poured them each two fingers of the fine alcohol. It was hard to get anything good these days. Something like this would have put Hackett back a few hundred dollars. That is, if he hadn't inherited it.

"I don't like it any more than you do," Hackett sighed. "If Hannah was still alive, you think she would go through with it?"

Anderson took a sip, letting the golden liquid burn down the back of his throat. "Of course not. She was already convinced that her daughter was pushing herself too hard."

Hackett raised an eyebrow. "You don't agree?"

Anderson returned his gaze to the young woman outlined in blue.

"Shepard all but ran herself into the ground a few years ago, sure, but I think losing the _Cairo_ put a few things into perspective for her. She dove into the _Normandy_ project, picked her team and her targets. She's not just blindly fighting anymore, she's leading the best damn squad we have out there. Hell, she's probably one of the only reasons we haven't lost this war yet."

Hackett chuckled. "You sound like another one of her fans."

Anderson smiled. "You could say that, but I like to think I know her a bit better than some. Have you heard the stories they're telling?"

Hackett nodded. "My favorite is the one where she killed a Reaper with only a knife - climbing up its leg and pulling out its circuitry until it finally keeled over."

"I hadn't heard that one yet." Anderson laughed, swirling his drink around, "I'm partial to the one where she drove a Mako filled with explosives off a cliff and straight into a Reaper. "

"Didn't that one actually happen?"

Anderson nodded. "It did."

That had been one hell of a mission report to read. Shepard had saved three cargo ships carrying refugees that day. He still didn't know how she made it out of there alive. He didn't know how she made it out of most situations alive.

"Steven," Anderson started. "The point is, we need her out there. Not just for her surprising knack for killing Reapers, but for the morale she brings to the soldiers. They thrive on her victories, her passion. She's a hero. If we take that away..."

"I know," Hackett said, finishing the last of his scotch."But this war is all but over. You know it. I know it. Humanity had its time, but Project Light isn't about us. It's about the future. By giving Shepard a second chance in a young war with more supplies, more troops, we give her a fighting chance."

Anderson stood up and tossed the last of his drink back.

"You're making a lot of assumptions. A lot of things can change in 50,000 years. Her pod might not make it. The next sentient species might not find her or if they do, they might just kill her instead of talking to her. There are too many factors that we can't account for!"

"I agree, but I still support it."

"Why?"

Hackett looked back at the holo vid that still flickered before them. Admiral Mikhailovich was giving a speech about honor and bravery. It hadn't been worth listening to the first time, and it still wasn't.

"Knowing that she's out there gives me hope that there is still a chance to beat the Reapers."

"Even if we sacrifice everything else?"

Hackett sighed and poured them each another glass. There was no point in saving the liquor for another day anyway.

"The Reapers have taken the colonies in the Asgard system. They are amassing a fleet to move on the relay."

Anderson's head shot up. "What? Why wasn't I informed of this? If we lose that cluster then Arcturus will be isolated from the rest of our forces. We'll need to-"

"The retreat is already alpha-site in Sentry Omega is already receiving the refugees from Benning. The Fifth Fleet will be staying behind in an attempt to maintain control of the Asgard relay."

The Fifth Fleet was Hackett's fleet. Anderson watched his friend down the the alcohol in one gulp. He hissed and poured himself another. They both knew that the mission was suicide and they both knew that it if it failed, then the only human strongholds were a few scattered garden worlds and key fueling rigs. Without Arcturus and the centralized military that it provided the war was going to go from bad to worse in a matter of a few months.

He finally understood why the Council seemed so defeated and desperate.

"Damn," Anderson said, downing his glass in one move as well. "This really is the end isn't it."

"Maybe." Hackett poured them each half of what was left of the precious liquor. "Who knows what the future has in store for us, but I do know one thing." Anderson looked at his friend in question. The older man smiled and tilted his glass towards him. "As long as Shepard's alive, the Reapers are going to be in for one hell of a fight."

Anderson chuckled, tapping the two glasses together. "The best yet."

**Oma Ker - 48,000 BCE**

PX-139 was a small rainforest like planet situated halfway across the galaxy from Arcturus. It would have been a prime location for a colony except for the fact that the life-forms were dextro-amino based, so humanity decided to forego mass colonization. There had been a few redeeming qualities about the small world, including its strategic location on the edge of Reaper occupied space.

A single military outpost was hidden in the vast array of underground caverns, enough for the Reapers to miss if they scanned the planet. It was the perfect place for small ships looking for a refuge as they escaped from the hell behind enemy lines. The secrecy and proximity to Reaper space made it Shepard's favorite place to dock. There weren't many supplies, but the _Normandy_ was just fine for the few days. PX-139 seemed to be one of the only safe havens these days.

"Shepard," Admiral Anderson said, walking up next to her. His face was illuminated by the glow of the war map. The thing was more red than anything these days and sometimes it felt like whatever she did, that wouldn't change.

"Sir," she acknowledged, surprised to see him out here. It was rare to see the Admiral so far away from his outpost on Arcturus station, and with the battle for the Asgard relay on the horizon, it was outright shocking. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed and leaned against the map. "I've been ordered to the alpha site. There is a good chance we are going to lose Arcturus."

Shepard exhaled. She didn't want to think about what it meant if they lost the station. Her mind went in another direction, grasping for anything that might help them. "Any word on the Crucible?"

Anderson shook his head, "We still don't know what the Catalyst is and with the Mars archives lost, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Dammit."

Most people didn't know it, but the Crucible, an ancient weapon designed by countless creatures over countless cycles was their best bet. Hit and runs weren't cutting it and with the loss of more colonies every day, the people needed something to hang on to, something to hope for.

"Don't Shepard" he said. "It's not your fault that we're losing this war. Hell, we'd all probably be dead already if it wasn't for you."

She looked up at him. "Sir, you give me too much credit."

"No I don't, and I told you, it's Anderson." He got a smile for that one, something incredibly rare these days. "I don't know if you understand the difference you've made in the last few years. People are rallying, rising up because of you. Holos of the _Normandy_ are being passed around the colonies and I hear soldiers telling stories about you in the mess hall as they eat. You've brought the fight back to humanity, something we desperately needed."

"You're going to make me blush."

He laughed. "That would be the day. I think your ego prevents you from showing any weaknesses."

"It's not ego, it's confidence. At least that's what my mother used to say."

That sobered up the mood quickly. The smile left Shepard's face and she gripped the side of the table until her knuckles were white. The _SSV Orizaba_ had been destroyed a month ago. There were no survivors.

"I was sorry to hear about your mother. The Admiral was a good woman and a good friend."

Taking a deep breath she released the table. Emotions were best kept to yourself. _A soldier is a symbol. If you want people to believe in you, don't let them see you flinch. _Another lesson her mother had taught her.

"Thank you, but I'm sure you haven't come all the way out here to give me your condolences. Is there something I can do in the upcoming battle? The _Normandy_ is ready to lead a pack in if you-"

He held up a hand. "I have another mission for you, Shepard. I've received word that the Council have decided to go through with a dramatic plan to preserve everything we've learned about the Reapers and past cycles. Inspired by the protheans they are going to create a series of beacons in hopes that the next cycle will be better prepared for the invasion. What the Reapers have done to us and to others before us can't be allowed to happen again."

"Sir?" Something didn't feel right to Shepard. She hated the idea of giving up, and that is exactly what it sounded like the Council was doing.

"We are compiling data, artifacts and weapons. Anything to give them an edge. And you."

"What?"

"The information will only help them if they believe it. We didn't believe the protheans until the Reapers were on our doorstep. That's where you come in. You can, and will, get sentient species' of the next cycle prepared for the onslaught. That's your greatest weapon Shepard, the power to inspire."

"But the fight is here!"

"The fight is over!" he snapped. "Look around you! Earth is gone. Eden Prime is gone. We've lost the Citadel and ninety-five percent of the galaxy is occupied. Arcturus is our last stronghold and the Reapers are on our doorstep. This cycle is lost. Humanity is lost."

Shepard grabbed him by the collar. It was against protocol, but she didn't give a damn about court martials. If they wanted to throw her out of the military they could. She'd take the _Normandy_ and raise an army of her own.

"Not while I'm still breathing," she growled through clenched teeth.

"I thought you might say that," Anderson sighed, pulling her hands off his collar. "But this isn't a choice Shepard."

From this distance she couldn't defend herself. His punch hit her solidly in the gut. It winded her, but shouldn't have put her down. She swayed backwards, confused, staring at the syringe that stuck out of her uniform.

Her mouth was heavy as the sedative took effect and she couldn't get the protests past her lips. With darkening vision she fell to her knees, vaguely aware of Anderson catching her.

"Give them hell, Shepard, for all of us." He whispered and then there was nothing.

* * *

**Chasca - 2174 BCE**

"Are you reading that book again?" Dr. Olena asked Liara over the soft sound of her piano. The asari archeologist blushed, and put the data pad down. They had been stuck in the pre-fabs for almost three days now thanks to the storm. Liara had been getting restless, going over the notes she had on the dig, hoping that something new would emerge. That way when they could finally get back to work, maybe they could find something worthwhile.

"You say it like it is a bad thing."

The salarian doctor shrugged, but smiled at the asari. "You're young and eager. That's not a bad thing, but there is nothing we can do right now. So relax. Staring at the reports from the past two weeks won't tell you anything new."

"You don't know that." Liara sighed. "There could be something I missed; something that could tell us more about the weapon-"

Dr. Olena laughed and stopped playing."You are assuming the Shepard was a weapon."

"You don't?" Liara asked, staring at the salarian.

The doctor shrugged. "There are many theories about it. What it was - a myth, a religious figure, a weapon - is one of the greatest mysteries of the collapse of the human empire."

Liara nodded. She had read the books. All the books. It was what she had written her final dissertation on at school. It was how she earned a place on this dig. The human ruins had turned up a data disk with mentions on the Shepard and she was determined to decipher as much of the damaged thing as she could.

So far, nothing else had come up to shed light on the elusive identity of the Shepard. None of the scholars had reached a consensus. The Shepard was first referenced in the later periods of the collapse, right before the humans disappeared. There were thousands of different tales. Some accounts talked about the Shepard 'raining down fire' on the enemy and others talked about the Shepard bringing 'salvation to the weak'. It was all very exaggerated and disjointed. Perhaps that was what drew her to the subject in the first place. The greatest mystery of humanity.

No one really knew why the empire collapsed. Scholars knew of a war against an unknown, but very powerful enemy. Liara knew that the Shepard was the key. If she could unravel that mystery then perhaps she would finally know how the greatest civilization in the history of the galaxy had fallen.

"What do you think it was?" Liara asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She loved to talk about the Shepard and it would get her mind out of the circles it had been going in for the last three days.

Dr. Olena sighed. "I think it was an idea. A story they told little children at night to protect them from the demons that lurked in the darkness. We know that the collapse was a brutal time. It makes sense that they would create something to protect them from things beyond their control."

"You're making reference to the Niacal site."

Dr. Olena nodded. "Among others. The writings are just so...fantastical. The colony there escaped from certain doom because, and I quote, 'Shepard didn't fear the flames. Shepard doesn't fear anything. I won't fear either.' That was from the soldier who flew the colonists to safety. How could that be about some gun?"

Liara shrugged. "A weapon can be anything. It isn't limited to a gun. It could be a ship, a virus, an AI, or-"

"An idea," Dr. Olena cut in. Liara paused and thought about this for a moment and then nodded.

She wasn't about to give in though. "What about the Cyone archives?"

Dr. Olena was silent, her fingers drifting back down to her keyboard. Soft music began to fill the small shack. "If you want to bring up the Cyone archives then we'll have to discuss the Gellix articles."

"Which," Liara smiled, "Will mean we have to talk about the ruins at Chalkhos." The salarian nodded and Liara closed her eyes. "And when we have finished the debate, perhaps you can teach me that song. I like it."

That got a small smile out of the salarian. "Perhaps I can."


	2. Rebirth

**Author's note: **Hey ho!

It's that time of the month again. A new chapter of The Shepard is here for your viewing pleasure. I would just like to take a moment to give a quick thanks to everyone who fav'd, followed and reviewed. I've never had this much love for a story before. Hopefully this will live up to your expectations. Today's installment: Garrus meets Shepard! This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole story and actually the very first one that popped into my head when I read the initial prompt.

**Disclaimer: **Bioware owns all the characters and the universe they live in.

* * *

**The Shepard - Rebirth**

* * *

"**There is much poetry written about the beauty of birth and the strength of the mother. While all this is true, it is also a violent and traumatic act for the child. Ripped from the comfort of the womb and thrust into the unknown, it is no wonder that children cry out in fear at the first taste of freedom. Is that how Shepard felt - stripped of her people and world? I saw confusion in her eyes, but instead of a panicked child, her rebirth bore only a weapon, tempered to perfection and ready for war." - **_**Reflections of the Reaper War, **_**by Matriarch T'soni**

* * *

**The **_**Intrepid**_** - 2186 CE**

No one can really know where their life is going when it starts. There are hundreds of possibilities and infinite variations. If someone had told Garrus Vakarian that he would be the principal figure in a fight against a race of highly developed synthetics hell bent on the complete destruction of all sentient life in the galaxy, he would have been skeptical.

He still might be.

"What do you mean _stuck_?" Garrus asked, running his hands over his face. He stared at the holographic projection of General Septimus Oraka. The transmission was gritty and cut out from time to time, but it was the best they could do. Quantum Entanglement Communication was the most efficient way for fleet to organize but it was expensive and have one major flaw: everything was routed through a central system on Palaven's moon, Menae. If Menae fell then the Hierarchy would have to fall back on comm buoys. Currently the moon was still standing, but the Reapers were pressing the attack and consequently communication blackouts occurred.

"Exactly what it sounds like." The general hissed. "Our engineers are missing some key components of the Crucible. Dr. T'soni was right, the plans are incomplete. The file was corrupted when you took it from the Facinus AI. It's impossible to finish without some major guesswork and the technology is so far above us that we aren't even sure _what_ we are building."

Facinus always had a backup plan. The group of separatists believed in turian isolation and domination over the other species of the galaxy. They had hidden underground for years and built up a network of undercover bases and stations where they performed heinous experiments to "advance turian ascension." Between terrorist attacks, political ploys and outright sabotage they were, in essence, the biggest pain in Garrus' ass.

Garrus sighed. "So, what? No giant gun to quickly end the war?"

"Apparently not, unless your asari friend has any other human archeological sites that she wants to investigate."

Garrus got the hint. "I'll talk to Liara."

"Good. We need something or else..." Oraka trailed off, unable to say the thought that lingered even in the back of Garrus' mind.

"How's the situation on Palaven?"

"Last I heard from General Victus, things on the ground don't look good. They've been pushed back from most of the major cities and the troops are scattered. Something big is going down in the capital, but they aren't sure what yet. I don't know how long Victus can remain in Cipritine."

"And our support?"

Oraka growled and hit something off screen. "The asari are still too busy 'fortifying' Thessia, the salarians have agreed to a summit, but fat chance that will accomplish anything. The quarians aren't responding to communications and the korgans refuse to even talk to us. We're on our own."

_Perfect_, Garrus thought irritably. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"Get me more information on the Crucible. And figure out what the hell Facinus is doing."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Garrus was eating some Barakian stew in the mess hall when Liara sat down in front of him, looking pleased with herself. The spoon hovered in front of his mouth and she waited silently. Apparently he wasn't allowed to eat and listen.

He pushed the food away from him and folded his arms.

"I've been going over some of my old notes from the university and I think I might have found something."She started, sliding a data pad over to him.

_Finally, _Garrus thought._ Some good news_. He reached out for the data pad and began to look over the contents.

Liara continued. "Some of the dig sites at Oma Ker indicated that this was a military base during the collapse of humanity. If we want to find information on a weapon I'd start there."

"Oma Ker?" Garrus said, skeptically. It had been one of the largest turian colonies, second only to colony had been devastated when Saren Arterius attacked with his army of geth - and all for that damned beacon. Thinking about him and that beacon still made Garrus unconsciously tense up.

Oma Ker had been the start of all this. He had chased Saren across the galaxy, only to be thwarted on the Citadel. Sovereign, the Reaper scout, had been defeated but his turian agent had escaped and now headed up Facinus. One day he was going to kill that bastard and it was going to feel great.

"Wouldn't the archeologists have found something useful when they uncovered the beacon?" Garrus said, his eyes skimming over the map of the dig site. Most of it didn't make any sense to him and he gave Liara a questioning look.

"No." Liara said patiently. She reached over and changed the screen to show a map of the planet's surface. "The military base is on the other side of the planet, set into a series of underground caves. The beacon was found close to the settlement, as far away from the base as possible. It's almost like the humans wanted the beacon to be found but not the base."

"Any chance we'll find something useful?" It sounded like a long-shot to Garrus, but he would take anything right now.

"Who knows." Liara sighed and sat down next to him. " But it's all I've got. All my informants are looking into this, but Facinus is doing the same thing. We are fighting on two fronts here and we are losing both."

He turned his attention back to the data pad and grumbled. "I've noticed."

* * *

Nihlus Kryik walked with determination through the security check points on the _Intrepid_. Truthfully he hated the things - finding them a waste of space and time on the frigate. There were many things that the Hierarchy did that he disagreed with. Its probably why he hadn't lasted long. How Garrus had survived in the military was still beyond him.

Everyone agreed that the two turians were cut from the same cloth - determined, impulsive and didn't give a damn about the rules. It's why they got along so well on and off the battlefield. Yet Garrus had survived in the military, much to his father's displeasure while Nihlus had gone into C-sec to get away from the oppression of the Hierarchy. C-sec still was full of red tape, but it wasn't the Hierarchy. Citadel law afforded more freedom than those of Palaven and he thrived there. Investigations were his strong suit and it gained him the recognition needed to become a Spectre.

Spectres were free to do what they wanted - men above the law, every law, including Palaven's. The freedom meant he had been able to pursue the Reaper's uninhibited together with Garrus - one of the only turians to ever gain and maintain his respect.

In the dim red lights of the war room, Nihlus spotted his friend hunched over the central holographic map; the same place he had been every day since this damn war started.

"I was just talking to Specialist Kato," Nihlus said as he entered the war room. "He intercepted a signal from Oma Ker. It's scrambled, but it has a Facinus identification."

Garrus looked up from the terminal and growled, "Of course it does. Because it's not enough of a challenge to land on a Reaper occupied world to secretly search an abandoned archaeological site for salvageable human data."

"This is all for you, you know. You sat on your ass for six months in a jail cell. We need to make sure you're still up to the task of saving the entire galaxy. Think of this as a trial run."

Garrus had been incarcerated for his own protection after destroying a mass effect relay and the nearest star system. It had been desperate, but it had delayed the Reaper invasion for over half a year. They had hoped to prepare the galaxy so they would have a fighting chance against the Reapers, but no one listened. Three hundred thousand Batarians died for nothing. The only consolation was that they didn't have to live through the war.

Batarian space was hit first and hit the hardest. The Hegemony had been decimated and survivors were trickling into Citadel space, but their homeworld of Khar'shan had fallen silent and stayed that way.

"Lost your confidence in me already?" Garrus asked, his mandibles flared mockingly.

Nihlus responded in kind, his voice deadpanned. "Who said I had any to begin with?"

"Ass." Garrus said and then sighed staring back at the terminal. It was a map of Oma Ker. Much of it was covered in red dots - location of Reaper attacks. Most of the infrastructure had been destroyed, but the section where the site was located was far outside any city limits meaning most of the area seemed free of Reaper forces.

"What's the plan of attack?" Nihlus asked.

"Well," the other turian said, his mandibles clicking in irritation, "I had a stylish and flawless plan, but it probably won't work now."

The Spectre snorted. "Flawless?"

"Always. Have you been on my missions before?"

"Have you?"

The two stared at each other for a moment and then smirked. "Dammit Nihlus," Garrus cracked, "I've got nothing here. If Facinus is on the ground this one might have to be touch and go."

"Well, at least Lieutenant Neros has a plan for getting us down there."

Garrus groaned. "You talked to her already?" Nihlus shook his head. "Dammit Kato."

Specialist Felix Kato was head over heels in love with the pilot of the _Intrepid_ and was always telling her anything he thought would impress the cold woman, but nothing seemed to get more than annoyed look out of her.

Flight Lieutenant Torcia Neros was the best damn pilot in the entire Turian fleet. No one disputed that. She was an exemplary citizen and military officer, a perfect turian. Some days Nihlus appreciated that, some days he envied it, but most days he wanted to smack her just to get that stick out of her ass.

A bit hypocritical of him? Yes maybe - but he didn't really care. As far as he was concerned the rules were meant to be broken. Especially rules created by all powerful committees that turned a blind eye to save their own political hide.

Torcia though, she followed her orders to the letter and commented on his shortcomings often. Why she had stuck with the two Spectres for the last three years was beyond him. He wasn't going to analyze it too closely though, she had gotten them out of enough close calls to warrant herself a bit of privacy on the matter. That and he had learnt early on that she wasn't looking for any type of relationship outside of their professional one. Kato however, hadn't gotten the memo yet.

"She and EDI have been helping Kato identify the subroutines in the signal."

Garrus sighed and looked back at the screen. "At least they figured it out before we got there. EDI, how far out are we?"

"One hour and 12 minutes Commander." The AI responded. Nihlus was glad that the Hierarchy hadn't gotten rid of her with all their other ridiculous changes to the _Intrepid_.

"Alright. Nihlus, I want you and Liara kitted up and in the hangar in one hour. Let Lieutenant Victus know that he's in charge while we're groundside."

Nihlus raised an eyebrow plate. "Victus? Are you sure?"

Garrus shrugged. "The boy's going to have to get his feet wet sometime."

"In Reaper infested territory with Facinus ground teams?"

"Sounds good to me." Garrus said standing and walking towards the exit. "It's easier than the my Spectre evaluation, unless you forgot."

"How could I." Nihlus growled.

It had been here, at Oma Ker. They had been there to collect the human beacon but they weren't alone. Saren and his geth army were already there. Saren had been his mentor in the Spectres and a close friend. His betrayal had hit Nihlus hard and it still was a sore spot, figuratively and literally. The gunshot wound in his shoulder still bothered him from time to time.

"A rogue Spectre, Sovereign and an army of geth. It's hard to forget." The bitterness dripped from Nihlus' words.

Garrus paused before the door, but didn't look back. "Yes, it is."

* * *

**Location Oma Ker - 2186 CE**

The lush forests of the temperate world were a stark contrast to the other occupied colonies Garrus had seen. Oma Ker had a significant population, but most it was centered around the spaceports leaving much of the world still covered by vast tracts of undeveloped land; land untouched by the Reapers

From where they landed, two fully armed Facinus guards could be seen at the entrance of the dig site.

"Most of the base is located underground in a series of caverns," Liara explained as they scouted the area. "On the other side of the mountains, there's a landing site. If I were Facinus, I would start there. It leads straight down to the main computer room. There are intact archives, but much of the data is locked. Not much has been done with it since the initial excavation due to the heavy encryption. If there is anything to be found, it will be in those drives."

"So where are we then, the back door?" Garrus asked, popping an armor piercing round into to his Widow sniper rifle. To his right Nihlus did the same.

"Exactly," Liara said.

_Good_. Sneaking around the back always made things easier, especially when the main force was preoccupied. "How far does that put us from the main computers?"

"We'll be coming in from the lower levels. This entrance was apparently an escape route directly into the forest. It leads to the crew quarters and from there we'll have to navigate up a few levels to get to the computers. The good news is that we we we will be coming at it from behind and can bypass the main docking area completely, so hopefully we can get in and out without attracting too much attention from Facinus."

"Sounds optimistic to me." Nihlus grumbled.

Liara glared at him. "Do you have a better plan?"

"No. It's a good plan, really." He said, leveling the sights on his sniper. A few adjustments for wind and distance and he was ready. "Just preparing myself for when this goes to hell."

Two shots and two kills.

"Kill stealer." Garrus grumbled and Nihlus smirked, pulling the sniper back and collapsing the lightweight model. They wouldn't have use for the long range weapons in the compound.

"Don't worry." Nihlus said, slapping him on the back. "I'm sure you'll get your chance. This _is_ one of your plans."

"Nope. This one is Liara's remember. You can't blame this on me."

Liara sighed. "Your confidence in my abilities is reassuring."

Nihlus smiled at her softly, letting his mandibles fall open. "Trust me, it's not you. Garrus just has a habit of blowing things up around him."

The other turian pushed past him, glaring playfully. "I know that you are referring to the Jarrahe mission. That doesn't count."

Nihlus followed, checking the safety on his assault rifle as they walked. "You just say that because you don't want to admit you're the reason that station's abandoned now."

Garrus pulled his assault rifle out as well. "That's not what the official report says."

Nihlus snorted. "Since when do you believe any official reports?"

The other turian shrugged as he stepped over the two Facinus bodies, "Only the ones that highlight my amazing sniper skills. Those are accurate."

Nihlus pressed his back against the side of the door while Garrus took point. "We are going to have a talk later about what you deem accurate."

Garrus cocked his gun and rolled his eyes at his friend. "Jarrahe still doesn't count."

"What happened on Jarrahe?" Liara asked, falling in line behind Nihlus.

"Rogue VI and Garrus. What more do you need to know?" Nihlus smirked and then the three plunged into the darkness of the old base.

* * *

"This seems too easy," Nihlus whispered as they walked slowly through the stone corridors. The acoustics were terrible and even Nihlus' whisper echoed through the hall.

"I agree," Garrus said quietly. All the Facinus forces were paired off and scattered through the base. It was like they were searching for something but had no idea what.

"The main terminals are through there," Liara whispered, looking over the schematics on her omnitool. She pointed down a hall to their left. Hushed voices echoed down the hall and the three of them instantly fell silent.

Liara hung back as the voices got louder with Garrus taking point and Nihlus one step behind him on the opposite side of the passage. The room had large windows, darkened over time with dust and dirt. Holding up his hand, the others stopped. A quick scan showed four soldiers and a set of large computers.

His eyes lingered on the terminals. At first glance Garrus didn't think that there was much difference between their current technology and the human paleo-tech. These machines were 50,000 years old and they looked just like modern supercomputers. It shouldn't have been such a mind blowing realization, but it was. So much of their world was based on human advancements, it was somewhat terrifying.

Garrus motioned Liara forward. She threw out a quick and powerful mass effect field that had the soldiers flying into the hallway with a startled shout. Grabbing one out of the air, Garrus snapped the turian's neck. That silenced him quickly. Turning, he activated his omni-blade and ran it through the sensitive flesh of another body. Blue blood flowed over his hands, warm and sticky; the only signs that these men were still turian. He had seen what Facinus were doing to their troops. The cybernetic implants wreaked of Reaper tech.

Liara stepped over the still bodies and walked into the room. The computers gave off a low hum and a dim light, indicators that they were still functioning after 50,000 years. If humanity knew how to do one thing, it was build things to last.

The asari sat at the terminal while Garrus hovered over her. Nihlus stayed by the door, taking up a lookout position. Liara scanned through the scattered data pads covering the consul, muttering to herself, "Facinus tried to hack the main data caches, but they couldn't get to it. Something about 'DNA'? If this was a biological lock it would explain why previous scientist couldn't access the files. Whatever is in here must be pretty important."

"DNA? Seeing as we aren't human doesn't that mean that _we_ won't be able to get in as well?"

"Yes, but..." Liara trailed off as she picked up a data pad on the counter containing some hastily scrawled notes from the Facinus scientists, "They found a repeating message. It keeps saying something about...oh Goddess."

"What?" Nihlus snapped from by the door.

"The Shepard." She whispered, her eyes wide.

"I'm sorry," Garrus said, "You lost me."

Liara opened her mouth once, but nothing came out. Shaking her head she composed herself, "The Shepard is a myth. Something that we find references to at dig sites across the galaxy. There's many theories about what the Shepard is - a religious icon, a weapon, a story - but it comes about first in the later periods, right before the humans disappear. There are thousands of different tales. Some accounts talk about the Shepard 'raining down fire' on the enemy and others talk about the Shepard bringing 'salvation to the weak'. It's all very exaggerated and disjointed."

"You seem to know a lot about it Liara,"

"I should," She said smiling, "I wrote my thesis on it."

"So we need to find this enigmatic idea to unlock the computer?" Nihlus deadpanned.

"They were looking for it," Liara explained, unable to hide the excitement from her voice, "Here on the base. That's why all the guards have been so scattered, they're searching for it!"

"Any idea where we should start looking?" Garrus asked, folding his arms over his chest. It was a small lead, but this whole mission was resting on a dream and a hope anyways.

Liara flipped through Facinus' notes, "The translation was incomplete." She opened her omnitool, "But the excavation was stopped once they found the computer room. There are some doors that they couldn't get through. I'd say we start there."

"Wait, if the scientists couldn't get through then how can we?"

"They were worried about preserving the dig site, I'm not," She cringed as Garrus stared her down, "Alright, I am, but this would be the find of a lifetime! _The_ Shepard - I'm willing to blow up a few doors to find that."

Nihlus laughed, "Garrus, I think we've been a bad influence on her."

* * *

"There," Liara pointed to the heaping rubble on their left, "That's where they couldn't get through."

"Looks like someone did," muttered Garrus pulling out his assault rifle. They hadn't run into any guards in the last few minutes. Something was off about the whole situation - small Facinus troop, barely any guards and no radio communications. Either they hadn't thought to be here that long or there was going to be a big surprise at the end of the tunnel. It was the archives on Feros all over again.

Liara understood Garrus' anxiety, but she couldn't bring herself to slow down or stop. Somewhere through this corridor was the Shepard. She was sure that Nihlus would criticize her on her excitement and disregard for safety, but he just kept her close as she peaked in every room they came across. Most of them were filled with empty ammunition reserves and worn out replacement parts, things that would have piqued her curiosity before, but she kept moving. Especially since it seemed as though the stockpiles had been rifled through recently. Facinus was one step ahead of them and if they got their hands on the Shepard, who knows what damage they could do with it.

_Or to it_. Goddess, she didn't know what was worse.

She knew the two turians didn't quite understand her blinding enthusiasm, but the Shepard had been more than her thesis, it had been the very reason she had gotten into human studies at university. Dr. Aziz's book on the Collapse had a chapter on the Shepard. She believed that the Shepard was a religious icon created by humanity to deal with the reason behind the fall of the civilization. The way she had talked about the weapon/artifact/religious idea was uplifting and terrifying all at the same time. The Collapse was her favorite era and the Shepard sat at the center of it, embodying everything of the time.

With every empty room and dead end they came upon, Liara became more and more anxious. They hadn't found the Facinus squad or the Shepard. Had it been removed already?

_No. Of course not._ She thought, _If Facinus had found it they would have left already._

Liara kicked an empty storage bin in frustration. Time was of the essence here - the _Intrepid_ was only able to remain in stealth mode for so long before the heat had to be dispelled - and after almost an hour of searching they weren't any closer to their goal.

It bounced off the wall with a hollow ping and she turned to leave. Nihlus on the other hand stepped forward and placed a hand on the wall, "Did you hear that?"

"What? Garrus asked, stopping to look at the other turian.

"A hollow noise."

"It was an empty bin Nihlus," Liara growled. She shouldn't be so snippy, but they had to keep moving.

The turian glared at her and knocked on the wall, "It wasn't that. It was the wall."

There was a hollow sound again, this time softer. Liara pushed past him and knocked on the stone herself to confirm it. She felt something give as she repeated the motion, but this time with more force.

"There's something back here." She said. Her biotics flared as she pushed the slab backwards. There was a grating noise and then a click as the stone slid and opened to a hidden room.

It was small, but held a single door, a console and a window. Liara stepped in, remembering to breathe again. Through the glass she could see a large black tube as tall as a turian and as wide as a krogan. There was a light on it, blinking slowly, meaning it had power.

The console turned on the second she got closer. She sat down and stared at the screen, the words flying across the terminal quickly, but they faded into a set of graphs. A sharp beep filled the room with a steady and familiar rhythm.

"Goddess, this can't be right," the asari mumbled staring at the screen. Her hands flew across the keyboard pulling up other graphs and data. But it was right, "It's not a human _artifact_. It's a human!"

"What?" Garrus asked, leaning over her shoulder.

"That thing in there, it's a pod. With a human inside!"

"Like those stasis pods we found on Ilos"

"Yes," She breathed, still unable to believe it, "But unlike those this one has power! He's been in there for the last 50,000 years!"

A human, a real, live _human_. He could access the sealed data terminals. He could help them finish the Crucible. He could...

Liara didn't finish the thought. Her fingers already starting up the resurrection process. It was imperative that they got him out of there before Facinus found them - or worse the Reapers.

The door hissed as the warm air flooded into the vacuum of the stasis pod. Cool air was displaced and flowed outward, obstructing their view as the the conflicting temperatures fogged up the window. From her spot outside, Liara could make out a form - stock still in the mist.

Her heart stopped for a moment, excitement coursed through her veins and her mouth dried as she stared past the haze desperately trying to seeing the human in the room. It had been her greatest wish as a child - to meet a human and learn from them. Her mother had laughed at her and she knew she was crazy, but a girl could dream.

And now, the dream was a reality.

What would they sound like? Would they approve of the how the universe had evolved? From what they had figured out about humanity they were a fairly peaceful race having no other intelligent species to war with. Their central council ran everything leaving many people time for exquisite art and stories. What kind of man was this that deserved to be preserved? A leader? A scientist? A philosopher?

Liara jumped as a hand - five fingered and pale - hit the glass, wiping away the condensation and giving her a view of two steel grey eyes, as piercing as a turian's and as deep as an asari maiden's. For a moment the world stilled as Liara lost herself in their depths. The eyes focused and then narrowed, taking the asari aback before they vanished, the opaque window obscuring the human's movements.

"He's heading for the door!" Liara cried, dashing to the barrier on the right. She threw open the door and stepped into the cool room. Her only thought was to calm the newly awoken human. Of course he would be confused and disoriented. She was a naive fool to think that things would work out perfectly - a small girl's dream hardly translates to reality.

Inside the mist had dispersed, leaving a clear view of the small chamber - but no human. A startled cry of "Liara" had her turning to see a blur of gold and black strike her down. The punch was quick and powerful, stunning her and sending her to her knees. A hand on the shoulder had her spinning and pinned in a second. Nihlus stepped into the room, shouting at the human - a _female_ human - with her arm on Liara's throat. The asari thought to yell, tell them not to shoot the human, but more than the forearm on her throat stopped her. A silver pendant hung from the woman's neck, and though Liara couldn't make out all of it, one word was easy to spot after years of reading it over and over again.

'Shepard'. This woman was the Shepard.

Dr. Aziz had been right - she was a goddess.

* * *

At first there was only the darkness. Shepard knew nothing but the vast nature of the cold black that enveloped her. All sense of time was lost and trying to grasp it was like trying to catch smoke. Even though the light was desired, its jarring return still illuminated nothing. First it was just a pin prick of thought echoing in her mind, a knowledge that something was not as it should be. Instinctively she began to catalogue her body - fingers and toes, legs and arms. She felt as if she moved through gelatin - her muscles contracting, but her body restrained. She breathed deeply through her mouth but found only the liquid cold instead of relief.

Fear.

It was all consuming and she fought to get out of the prison she was in. Every second the matrix around her loosened and she could finally, after an eternity, swing an arm or kick a leg. Her lungs instinctively gulped for air, but only found more of the suffocating liquid. In a rush it all fell away and she collapsed as gravity returned.

Violently her body removed the liquid from her lungs. Coughing, throwing up, coughing some more. Her head was too weak to lift itself as she pushed the violating liquid from her body and replaced it with sweet, sweet air. The silence was filled with the sound of her breath - heavy and short, vibrating with effort.

Finally the heaving fits stopped and she could do a survey. Her eyes clenched shut at the harsh light of the room, but she had caught a glimpse of her surroundings and it was alien to her. Years of military training kicked in and Shepard knew she must get up. You were vulnerable on the ground.

Her body was weak from disuse. How long had she been out? As she pushed herself from the floor she could feel the heaviness of her arms and legs. They weren't weren't as strong as they should be, but the adrenaline was covering for that. It coursed through her body as her mind raced.

_Clear your head soldier. _

There were four walls. The room was small, but she could make out a window thick with fog. Was it a cell? Is that why no one was here with her? Is that why she was alone?

_Clear. Your. Head._

Shepard slipped the first time she tried to get up, but with every step she felt more confident. Her legs still strained with the exertion, but they obeyed her will and moved forward. One step, then another and she was at the wall. The sound of her hand was loud as it slapped clumsily against the glass, but she was able to wipe away the condensation and get a glimpse past the fog.

Blue. The two eyes staring at her from the other side were blue. The skin around them was blue. Everything was _blue_.

Shepard reeled backwards, shock over riding her senses. She had never seen so much blue.

It wasn't human.

She was alone in a cell and the other thing on the side of the wall wasn't human.

Where the hell was she?

Where the hell was Anderson? She had been talking with him and then...Her hand instinctively went to her side where the needle had been inserted. He had drugged her._ Our last hope_. That is what he had said.

The same question popped into her head again, this time heavy with implications. How long had she been out?

Suddenly, she had the urge to throw up again.

Some part of her brain, the logical and rational part, told her that the appearance of this alien meant that she had been asleep a long time, perhaps too long. She pushed that thought away. _No. Anderson is alive. My ship is here, with my crew. The fight isn't over._

It was a desperate thought but the only one she could handle without emptying her stomach.

She needed answers and there was only one way to get them. Clinging to the hope that her crew was still alive Shepard pushed her body towards the door. Her first priority was to get past the alien and determine her exact location; weapons and establishing communications were next. Angling herself into the shadows, she waited. It was likely that the aliens outside were armed and armored while she was weaponless and clad only in a set of black skivvies.

The blue alien entered and looked for her, but didn't see the commander until she was upon her, pinning her to the ground. This close, the amount of blue skin was overwhelming. She had never seen an azure alien before.

Shepard had questions on the tip of her tongue, but the click of a gun by the door brought her back to reality. She looked up and saw another species, very different from the first. While the blue one looked almost human, this one was tall, armed and clearly deadly. His very presence put her on edge and her body tensed unconsciously.

Piercing green eyes watched her every movement with caution as it chirped, growled and, as best as she could tell, spoke to her with a flanged voice. The words were incomprehensible, but the tone was clear: Get the hell off of the girl.

Slowly, Shepard removed herself, crouching over the blue alien. Outside she could see another one, armed as well as the first with some type of rapid fire gun. She didn't recognize the design, but it seemed simple enough.

She needed to get her hands on it.

Thankful that her body seemed to finally be moving somewhat normally and high on her fight-or-flight response, Shepard leapt at the alien. He swung at her with the butt of his rifle, but Shepard blocked it and went for the only unarmored part of him she could - his neck. A quick swipe to his windpipe and his defense crumbled. She grabbed his fringe and tossed him over her shoulder next to the blue alien. As he went sailing, the gun fell from his hands at her feet.

Shepard reached down and picked up the rifle, kneeling as she pointed it at the third one. He was probably the smartest of all three, and in a universal sign of surrender, put his gun on the ground.

With her weapon still trained on the the alien, she backed out of the room and bolted.

* * *

"We need to find her," Liara said as she pulled herself off the floor.

"Agreed," Garrus held out his hand, "She could do some real damage out there." He smirked at Nihlus. The other turnian glared, his mandibles twitching in annoyance.

"Not another word."

"I didn't say anything," And yet the amusement was dripping from Garrus' voice.

"Or do anything as I recall." Nihlus snapped.

"HEY!" Liara interrupted, "You don't understand. That isn't just some human, it's THE Shepard, and if the stories are to be believed, humanity's greatest hero."

"Oh, well," Garrus sighed, "Probably should keep her from being killed by the other Facinus troops then."

"Yes," Liara sighed, "We probably should."

"She'll probably head to the main computer room," Nihlus said pulling out his pistol and glared at it, wishing it was his assault rifle.

He had been bested by a 50,000 year old woman. Glancing at Garrus, the other turian smirked and Nihlus knew he was never going to live it down.

* * *

Shepard moved through the facility cautiously but quickly. It was easy when you knew this base like the back of your hand. She had come out in the armory, but a quick searched showed that it had been cleared out a long time ago.

As she moved through the hallways, her thoughts turned dark. No one was here. There were no alarms, no people and no bodies. If alien intruders had invaded the base then they had cleared it out long before they had found her or they had found it abandoned. Either way it didn't bode well for the small sliver of hope that she clung to so desperately.

The corridors felt off. Dust, cobwebs and broken lights prevailed as she walked towards the computer room. It was strange walking through the empty halls. Last time she had been here so had her crew. Joker had been down in the hanger overseeing the repairs with Specialist Traynor, James had been regaling the soldiers stationed here with tales of their last mission and Ashley had been elbow deep in the armory. There had been life here.

Life beyond the invading plants that grew through the cracks in the wall.

Voices up ahead stilled her. She willed her breath to slow and was actually thankful for being dressed only in her underwear; her armor had never been this quiet. Straining her ears she tried to hear any discernible words, but they were only the clicks and growls of the other alien. Moving quietly, she slunk into the room to her right and let the aliens pass her by. They were different from the three in the storage rooms; these wore helmets and uniforms. Perhaps those three had been the leaders?

If that many of them were here then they had to have some type of transportation. It shouldn't be too hard for her to procure a vehicle and get out of here. It was clear that her team wasn't here, but she still held out hope they were somewhere else. The ship had to have some type of communication she could hack and get hold of the _Normandy_.

First things first, she had to figure out what the hell was going on. She only hoped that they hadn't accessed the main computers yet. If they had tried then the safety protocols would have wiped the databases and she wouldn't find any answers.

With the patrol out earshot, she moved again, heading up the hall towards the main communication center.

Outside the room there were four bodies, all with the same uniform. Shepard frowned, the situation becoming more complicated by the moment. Something caught her eye as she stepped over the bodies. One of them, with his neck turned unnaturally - or what she assumed was unnatural - had lost his helmet in the process. His eyes were still open, bright and glowing with cybernetics.

_Reaper tech_. She would recognize it anywhere.

"Fuck," She cursed softly and took of the helmet of the other three. They were all 'upgraded'. It was the same thing Cerberus had done to their troops. Indoctrinated bastards.

These aliens, who ever they were, were clearly the enemy.

Shepard sat down at the communication's terminal. There was data pads everywhere, the computer was already on and the system flashed a warning.

_"Error log:_

_1223.232.4487.1_

_ERROR /bioscan/cmdr (result unknown)_

_Automated response_

_Flash wipe initiated. _

_D:\1.1235.3 wiped_

_D:\1.1235.5 wiped_

_D:\1.1235.7 wiped"_

"Shit" Shepard hissed, the fools had tried to hack the computer. The error message played across all the screens; over and over and over again. They had tried to hack it multiple times, if anything had survived the initial hack, it was probably gone by now.

She was about to get up and leave when something caught her eye. Between every hack attempt was a command.

_" complete_

_D:\5923-AC-2826_

_ Access Y/N"_

The cursor blinked softly by the 'N'. Shepard wasn't a tech wiz but she knew her service number. Someone had left her a message. Hesitantly she reached out and typed in 'Y' and hit enter.

A blue laser shot out of the screen and scanned her. Every screen flashed white and then they all read a single message.

"_ID confirmed. Hello Commander Shepard."_

* * *

Nihlus shot the two Facinus patrols they ran into, no longer caring about being stealthy. They came from the upper levels which meant they hadn't run into that woman. If they had, in all likelihood they would be dead.

It also meant that Shepard was still alive. A good thing too. Liara and Garrus both wanted information from her. Not him though. Nihlus just wanted one good punch.

_Just one._

* * *

"Shepard," The hologram of Anderson said, his skin blue and transparent. He looked out past her, probably to where the camera had been placed. The message had started up the second she had tried to access the user interface.

"If you are listening to this," He continued, "Then we lost. I can't tell you how it finally ended as this base is to be resealed upon my departure, but you deserve some sort of closure. When I asked the Council what additional items were to be left with you they said nothing in hopes of keeping you off the Reapers' scanners. I've known you to make a lot out of less, but I thought you might like a head start.

"Specialist Traynor and Dr. Lawson created an ghost drive for you. I asked them to put the history of the war on it. It's all there: military tactics, weapon advancements, schematics, training plans. To fit everything we had to compress it down to the bare bones, but I did manage to leave a bit of space for some personal effects: messages from what's left of your crew, a few of your favorite audio tracks and a photo of your family. It was your mother's favorite. She showed it off to anyone who wanted to see a picture of you, even to people who didn't.

"Hopefully this finds you well Shepard. If the aliens that revived you are anything like us, it was probably a team of scientists and civilians. Call me optimistic," He smiled, "But I bet you haven't shot them yet. You never had the best diplomatic skills, but we sent you there to guide them, not kick their asses. The beacons that lead them to you had a warning about the Reapers. Help them, who ever they are, to be prepared for the coming war. If you are lucky you will come centuries before the Reapers even show up. If not, well, you know what to do.

Good hunting out there Shepard. Anderson out."

The vid shut off and the screens came to life. They were empty except for one small icon in the middle of the screen with her service number underneath it. She sat there numbly looking at the unsuspecting icon, willing it and the message she just heard out of existence.

_We lost. _

The words echoed in her head. Everyone she ever knew, ever loved was gone. Kaidan, Ash, Joker, Anderson, Vega, Cortez, Miranda, Jack, the list went on and on. One by one she listed them in her head as she stared numbly into space. In the silence of the room she wanted to curl up and cry. She wanted to rage and yell. She wanted to shoot something. Footsteps echoed off the stone wall and she cocked her gun.

Those Reaper allies would do.

* * *

Nihlus wasn't going to take any chances this time. The human was fast, faster than he had expected, and very well trained. Even with her diminutive size, she had thrown him over her shoulder easier than his instructor had in basic training. That had been the last time he had remember the vertigo inducing sensation and he had hated it back then to.

The snickers and the stares as the other students looked down at him - an outsider, unworthy of the honor of service - they thought he belonged there, on his back and at their feet. It had been humiliating and infuriating. Lashing out only got him tossed and pinned again, his instructor leaning in close as he pressed his talons painfully into the nerve cluster at the base of Nihlus' fringe. "Anger is blinding. Pride is limiting. Ignorance is deadly. Only a fool fights with these tools. Are you a fool?" It was whisper full of irate subharmonics so low that no one but Nihlus could hear. Out of the corner of his eye the turian looked up at his teacher who stared out at the crowd of students with a disgusted flare to his mandibles.

_Fools. They were fools_.

Nihlus never gave them the pleasure of looking down at him again, figuratively and literally.

Shepard had stared at him too, her eyes calculating for size, speed and balance. She had seen it all in the space of a second and even though she had never seen a turian before, she knew how to compensate for his reach, height and weight.

A perfect soldier - calm and collected.

_She isn't a fool._

And he wouldn't stare at her from his back again.

A growl rumbled in the back of his throat as he gripped his gun tighter and switched off the safety. Lost in his own world, he jumped when Garrus put a hand on his shoulder, "You know we need her alive."

"I can do alive." NIhlus said.

Garrus' hand tightened, "Nihlus."

The other turian sighed, "I know, I just..."

Garrus nodded. He understood, he always understood. Neither of them fit in with the Hierarchy very well - taking orders wasn't their strong point.

Liara stopped them and glanced around the corner, "I hear something."

Garrus and Nihlus looked at each other in silent communication. Nihlus gave in sighing and put the safety back on his gun. The other turian's mandibles flared in relief and he released Nihlus' shoulder with a reassuring squeeze.

"You know I hate you right?" Nihlus murmured as Garrus took point.

"Yes."

* * *

The dirty glass that separated the computer room from the hall shattered as they passed by it. Garrus cursed, how the hell had she seen them through the opaque window? Crouching in the shattered glass, he waited for her to make the next move, straining to hear any movement in the adjoining room.

_Silence. She's patient._

Shifting, he turned to face Liara. In any other situation he wouldn't have said a word, but Shepard knew exactly where they were and how many of them there were. There was no element of surprise or tactical advantage available to him at the moment outside of her inability to understand them, so a few words wouldn't hurt.

"I need her disarmed Liara," He said, "Pull her, push her, I don't care, but if you don't get that gun away from her I _will_ shoot her."

Liara swallowed and nodded, her skin glowing blue with dark energy. Garrus stood up to lay down cover fire, but was knocked backwards as the butt of Shepard's gun came flying out from around the corner. _When had she moved?_

Liara released her energy as Shepard reached forward to grab Garrus' cowl, forcing the human back with reckless speed and slamming her into the wall. The force of it still didn't cause Shepard to release her gun, but it surprised the human, her eyes shooting up to focus on Liara, ignoring the turians.

Garrus wiped the blood from his mouth and watched as Nihlus vaulted into the room, landing squarely between Liara and Shepard. His gun was raised, but Shepard spared him only a passing glance, staring down the asari who still glowed.

The mass effect field wrapped around the human effectively pinning her to the wall. There was no escape from the dark energy as it pressed her into the stone.

"The gun Nihlus," Garrus said, walking into the room. The Spectre sighed and took the weapon from her grasp, "Liara we need a way to communicate."

"I can't hold her and write at the same time," Liara said, her voice straining. It was easy to create a forceful biotic field and crush an enemy but controlling a stasis field was harder, especially when trying to immobilize parts of the body instead of the entire entity.

"Nihlus," Garrus nodded, putting his gun away. The other turian followed his lead, latching one hand under her shoulder and the other on her arm, forcing her forward and onto her knees as the blue energy dissipated.

Shepard fought the second the field collapsed, pushing back with surprising flexibility and strength, but she didn't even manage to gain a foothold before Nihlus twisted her arm forcing her back to the floor.

Nihlus and Garrus held Shepard hard even when she stopped struggling. Even motionless, her body was taut and ready for any opportunity, any weakness. Pinned as she was, Liara was amazed that she looked more deadly on her knees than the two large turians holding on to her.

"Liara," Garrus said snapping her attention away from Shepard's intense gaze, "Now."

"Can't we just knock her out and take her back to the _Intrepid_?" Nihlus grumbled, his hold tightening. Shepard's gaze whipped to him and he glared right back at her.

"No," Liara said shaking her head. She had seen the damage this woman could do in close quarters and having her on a ship - confused, scared and that close to modern weaponry - could be disastrous. "Not until we earn her trust."

The Shadow Broker turned to the data pad and proceeded to type out a message. No one knew what the human language sounded like. There were some theories, but frankly most of the actual attempts were feeble at best. She just hoped her rusty human was passable.

A single word - "Friend."

She showed Shepard and the woman looked at the script and then up at Liara, her head cocking to the side. Liara swallowed heavily - was it wrong?

She tried again. This time - "Ally."

Shepard stared past the datapad and up at Liara. She could tell that the woman was thinking, but her thoughts were hidden behind an iron mask and tight lips. The human's steel eyes shifted to the Facinus troops on the ground and then back to the two turians holding her. Liara followed her gaze and understood. Shepard thought they were with Facinus.

"No." Liara whispered, kneeling in front of the woman. She shook her head and made and 'x' with her arms, hoping that the term in some shape or form would translate. The look she got in return from the human was still distrustful.

"Here," Garrus said, "Let me try."

"By all means," She sighed.

Garrus looked at Nihlus who nodded in return. He was going to let go. Liara tensed as Garrus released one hand, reaching for his gun. Shepard twisted in the loosened hold and for a moment Liara thought she might escape. Nihlus struggled to retain his grasp on her but Shepard got in a good shot, slamming the back of her head into his nose.

Nihlus hissed and rotated her arm unnaturally, eliciting a similar response from the human. She stumbled and he reached around grabbed her other arm, holding her tightly to his body. Compared to the turian she was small, similar to an asari, but Liara had never seen an asari so physically strong before.

"Got her?" Garrus asked cautiously, one hand still hovering over his rifle.

"Yeah," Nihlus ground out. Shepard finally stilled again, glaring daggers at Garrus.

Taking a step back, Garrus pointed at himself and then pointed his gun at one of the Facinus troops, cocked it and shot the dead trooper. The sound cracked loudly in the small room. Liara held her breath as the steel in Shepard's eyes melted away and was replaced with lightly hidden curiosity.

Liara stepped forward again, holding up the data pad again and gestured to herself and then to Shepard. The tension in the woman ebbed a bit as she nodded slowly.

_She understood. By the Goddess..._

"Let her go," Liara whispered, not daring to look away from the woman.

"What?" He hissed, mandibles wide in shock.

"Do it," Garrus interrupted. It was an order, not a request. Nihlus' audibly clicked his mandibles in annoyance, but complied.

Shepard slowly stepped away from the turian, glancing back with her eyes resting on Nihlus' gun. He glared and placed his hand on hilt in warning. Liara wanted to yell at him, punch him, something, but she knew it was pointless. Nihlus was on guard, and while she wanted to trust the human, a part of her appreciated the distrustful turian. If Shepard bolted again then they would lose the ability to access the data and finish the Crucible.

She half expected the woman to reach for a data pad, but instead she went to the fallen Facinus troop. She pointed to his face and started rambling off something. She gestured to his eyes and cybernetic implants, her voice flowing softly. Liara blinked, but couldn't focus as she was in awe of hearing, actually _hearing_ the human language. It had a strange lilt, smooth and guttural at the same time and the woman's voice was lower than she had imagined with a husky hint to it.

When Shepard turned back to the group she had an expectant look on her face.

Garrus looked to Liara in question but the asari had nothing. The sounds had been so different than anything she had expected. It had made identifying words virtually impossible.

There was a flash of annoyance across the human's face and she scowled. Standing, she held her hand out with her palm up. The Garrus looked down at her hand and then back up at her. The woman rolled her eyes and pointed at his gun.

"You want my gun?" Garrus asked. Shepard stared at him.

"No." Nihlus growled. "We can't-"

"Quiet." Garrus cut him off. Cautiously he handed her his small side arm. The human nodded in thanks, turned and fired three rounds into the dead trooper. She looked back at Garrus in question, ignoring Nihlus who had moved at the first shot, his gun an inch from her head.

Blue blood and black oil oozed from the head wounds. It reminded Garrus just how far from turian that Facinus had become. Shepard squatted down, running her fingers through the blood and she began to write something on the floor. When complete she gestured to it and said a single word.

Garrus squinted at it, tilting his head slightly. "Liara?"

The asari shook her head. She didn't recognize the word, but she pulled up her omni-tool and took a picture of the word. "Glyph," She said, accessing the Shadow Broker network, "Can you find any references to this in archives on Thessia?"

There was a small whine before Glyph's voice came of the com, "There are multiple references to the word on Namakli. One includes a picture. Would you like me to pull up the information for you Dr. T'soni?"

"Yes please."

The photo was projected holographically over Liara's wrist. It was of what appeared to be a cave drawing of a Reaper. Shepard stood and walked towards the asari. She pointed at the picture and said the word again.

"Yes." Liara said slowly, nodding. "Yes, those are Reapers." Shepard said it again and pointed at the dead trooper on the floor. Liara nodded again. Yes, the Reapers were here and yes, he worked for them. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was close enough.

Shepard glowered and gripped the gun tighter. Apparently that wasn't what she wanted to hear even though it didn't seem shocking.

The human put the gun into her black smalls, glancing at Garrus, daring him to take the gun from her. Nihlus frowned, but didn't say anything. She reached back over to the computer and with her blood soaked hand she drew a circle around the icon in the middle of the screen.

Garrus frowned and inched closer to the monitor. "That wasn't here before."

Liara pushed past him and stared at the screen. He was right. Before there had been lines and lines of code, but this time the screens were empty save for the one file.

"She accessed the computer." Liara breathed out.

"Can we download it?" Garrus asked.

"Yes." The asari said, her omnitool already glowing under her fingertips, "I'll link it to EDI so she can start sorting through the files."

"Good. We'll head back to the _Intrepid_ now. Nihlus and I will scout ahead and make sure the path back to the shuttle is clear. You, uh," He glanced back at the human, "You convince her to follow."

Liara sighed. That would be easier said than done.


	3. Preconceptions

**Author's Note:** Wow, this is a week late in posting. Sorry everyone. It comes on the back of some good news, at least I hope it is good news, and some not so good news. So the reason this chapter was delayed in coming out is that my friend and sounding board looked at the originally structure of this chapter and told me that it was "poorly constructed" and "confusing". My jaw dropped to the floor and we talked about it for a while. In the end I agreed with her (damn you logic!) and had to make some major changes to the chapter and some later scenes.

So here's the bad news first: For all of you that have read this story before, most of this chapter is going to seem old hat. Pretty much everything I wrote as supplement has been removed.

And here's the good news: The new stuff has been removed from this story and will appear in another one! Most of what I added was back story for Shepard. Her life and struggles before she was frozen, something that I have throughly enjoyed writing. I was struggling to find ways to put it in this story and have things progress in an easy to read manner. So I just decided to give it it's own spotlight. I have yet to decide if I will post it concurrently with this story or afterwards. Thoughts?

So yeah, new story coming your way. So, be on the look out for "The Soldier"

**Disclaimer**: Bioware owns all the characters you know an love. We'll see if you love mine at the end of the story.

* * *

** The Shepard - Preconceptions **

* * *

**Religion is a crutch. It rises from the hearts of people who need to place order where there is none and explain the unexplainable. The asari ventured out from our world and found a alien universe and yet it was known to them. So our Goddess become united and all encompassing. The turians required honor and their spirits of their ancestors lived on in their ranks.**

**No one knows what caused the Collapse, but humanity's world was suddenly full of war and death. It is only logical that they would turn to a goddess, burning with fire and passion to protect them in their hour of need. The Shepard was everything that humanity lacked, personified in one perfect figure. - **_**The Collapse,**_** by Dr. Velera Aziz****  
**

* * *

**Oma Ker - 2186 CE**

Liara glanced up from her omnitool, desperately trying not to stare at the human, but failing horribly. She couldn't get over the fact that there was a _human_ not five feet from her. Her eyes were inherently drawn to the similarities and differences between her preconceptions and the reality that was Shepard.

Theories about human society had centered around a peaceful culture of explorers and scientists. The Citadel had been central to this theory and the easy of asari colonization had cemented the idea that humanity had not feared invasion. The writings they had found and the technology discovered had been centered around mass effect fields and their application in exploration. What little they had discovered about the Collapse never prepared her for this.

It was clear the Collapse had been a turbulent time for humanity. This was agreed on by most scholars. A popular theory was that some internal conflict had brought war to the peaceful civilization that they were unprepared for. The few military bases they had found, like those of Oma Ker, were small in comparison to the massive structures of the turians. When studied in the context of current societies, it was easy to believe that the humans had an underdeveloped military and relied heavily on their technological advances.

Ilos had solidified that idea for her.

Row upon row of scientists were preserved there to wait out the end of the war and then rebuild society. Scientists and civilians, not soldiers. It had been a desperate move brought on by a people overwhelmed by the brute force of the Reapers, something she could sympathize with. Never in in her wildest dreams had she believed that humanity had developed weapons and armaments.

Yet here she was, looking at a paragon of military prowess.

Shepard knelt over the corpse of the turian, removing his armor and guns in a methodical manner that spoke of years of training. Her hands searched for pockets and claps, raiding his body for supplies and information. There was little to no hesitation as the woman inspected elements, as if she had seen each and every one before. She had already demonstrated her skill at hand to hand combat and now she handled a pistol like it was second nature to her.

Every movement was practiced and precise, it made Liara question every text she had ever read on the Shepard. Stories that had once caused debates among the academic community suddenly made sense. She believed she understood what had happened to humanity in the Collapse once the Reaper's involvement had been revealed; they had fallen quickly to the synthetics. Looking at the new information in front her she realized how much she had missed. Humanity had not gone quietly. They had fought to the last man and they were still fighting.

Liara watched as Shepard found the soldier's stashes of ammunition and in one fluid movement she had removed the magazine and ejected the round from the chamber. It flew through the air and she snatched the small bullet before it hit the ground. Their eyes met and Liara saw the distrust and suspicion there. The audible click of a new heatsink starteld the asari and she felt the threat lingering in the simple movement.

Shepard would shoot her if this was a trap.

Liara's heart sped as her eyes darted to the gun held tightly in the human's hands and then back down to her omnitool. Any and all potential translations fell from her as the woman stared her down. Her mouth went dry and her fingers trembled over the holographic keys, as her mind scrambled for purchase.

_Say something. Anything!_

Her commlink crackled with an open channel and Garrus' voice was low in her ear. It made the asari jump.

"All clear and the shuttle is on its way. You can bring Shepard now."

"Alright." She whispered, her voice cracking.

"You alright Liara?" He asked.

She nodded and then realized he couldn't see it. "I am. I'm just...overwhelmed."

Overwhelmed by this situation. Overwhelmed by this war. Overwhelmed by this woman.

Garrus' warm laughter echoed over the comlink. "I bet. Just don't go trying to dissect her brain."

A metallic click let Liara know that Shepard had just chambered the first round. Her gun was primed and ready. Dissecting the human's brain was the last thing on the doctor's mind.

"You don't have to worry about that Garrus." Liara said. "We're on our way."

She knew she was shaking, but Liara walked past the woman with the gun and the steel eyes and headed towards the shuttle. While the woman didn't trust her, Liara trusted Shepard. She trusted that Shepard would follow because it was the only choice she had.

* * *

The shuttle ride was bumpy. It was cramped. Everyone was staring at Sherpard and with the adrenaline wearing off, the weight of everything came crashing down - physically and mentally. A bullet to the gut felt worse, but that was of little consolation.

Sitting there in her skivvies, wet and cold, Shepard tried to take her thoughts off the last few hours. Each time she tried to focus on something else - the shuttle, her companions, her physical state - it only caused her mind to wander back in a circular and destructive spiral: humanity was gone.

Everything she had fought for, had been willing to die for, was _gone_.

Yet the war continued. Another cycle, another species on the brink of total annihilation, and her.

Her hands shook from where she grasped them in her lap, perhaps from nerves, perhaps from the systematic shock of being cryogenically frozen, but it was an outward sign of weakness. Glaring at the offending limb, she clamped her other hand on it to hide it from view to both the aliens and herself. Acknowledging her fractured psyche would only lead to tears and she would not cry in front of these strangers, these 'allies'.

_Allies_.

That word left a bad taste in her mouth. Anderson had been her ally, her friend, and he had betrayed her. He hadn't even given her the choice. He forced this on her. For the first time since Eden Prime Shepard felt small. Unconsciously her hand reached up for her dog tags.

There were three hanging from the silver chain, one for each Shepard.

She closed her eyes and took a sobering breathe. Her mother's words floated to the forefront of her thoughts in a comforting embrace: "_Chin up. You are a Shepard. We fix things with tools not tears."_

Emotions would have to wait.

There was still a war going on, and she was still a soldier. It wasn't much, but it was enough. It had to be.

* * *

**The **_**Intrepid**_** - 2186 CE**

"Commander Vakarian," Tarquin Victus saluted as the shuttle doors opened, "There is a message from..." His voice trailed off as Shepard stepped off the ship. Dressed as minimally as she was, she still exuded an air of command and confidence. It was as if this whole situation didn't phase her. As the lieutenant stared at her, she stared right back with an eyebrow raised in question.

Nihlus shook his head and pushed past them, "I'm going to take a shower. You know where to find me if you need me."

Garrus nodded. He could tell that his friend was still upset with the events of mission, but he would calm down_. _The current issue was the young lieutenant, and it was less of an issue and more of an amusement.

"Tarquin, you can close your mouth now."

The turian snapped his jaw shut audibly, "Umm, sorry sir. I just...What...? Who...?"

"This is Shepard," He gestured behind him. She stood with belied ease - three steps behind and one to his left: the same distance she had been since their shaky truce. It was just far enough for her to escape his reach and produce and effective counter. _Still on the defensive. Not that I blame her._ "She's the last human. I'd introduce you to her, but unfortunately she doesn't speak any language recognized by the translators."

"Oh." The lieutenant still hadn't looked away.

Shaking his head, Garrus slapped the turian on the shoulder, "You had a message for me?"

"Yes!" Tarquin said, finally pulling his attention from the woman, "Councilor Sparatus has asked us to report to the Citadel immediately. He refused to tell me why but wanted you to call as soon as you got back."

_Interesting_. "EDI?"

"Yes commander?" Came the synthetic voice.

"Tell Lieutenant Neros to set course for the Citadel."

"Yes sir."

"Oh, and EDI?"

"Yes?"

"I want you to make a translation program your top priority. As amusing as it is, I would like another way to communicate besides bullets."

"Of course. I will start to compile all texts concerning the translation of the human language. What would you like me to do with the data that Dr. T'soni uploaded to my databases from the planet?"

"Take a quick look through it. If you see any thing related to the Catalyst tell me immediately, otherwise hold off. Most of it will probably be useless until we get a proper translation protocol in place."

"Are you sure?" Liara asked from beside him, "There are some notes I have from some lesser known digs. I will get Glyph to start pulling all references from my Shadow Broker database but there is no telling what we have misinterpreted over the years. An accurate translation algorithm could take a very long time."

"EDI, how long do you think it will take?" Garrus asked.

"Basing it on other language algorithms will cut a significant amount of time. I should have a basic program in a few hours."

"Good. In the meantime," Garrus glanced back at his newest crew member, "Find her some living quarters and a change of clothes."

EDI interjected, "There is adequate space on the engineering deck in the starboard cargo hold."

"And I have some extra clothing that should fit," Liara added.

Garrus nodded and nudged Tarquin who had gone back to openly gaping at the human, "Come on Lieutenant. We have a councilor to call."

* * *

Taking a deep breath Liara turned on the human. The threatening air around the woman had dissipated the second the turians and shuttle had come into view. It was as if Shepard specifically didn't trust _her_. It made the asari uncomfortable.

One of many things actually.

Shepard wasn't the only on edge. It was hard to think around the human. Her mind splintered in twelve different ways. Everything from curiosity to fear and every spectrum in between. Her whole being was consumed by the mystery that was Shepard.

And Liara was attracted to mysteries.

Scantily clad as she was, Liara could see the ripple of muscle under Shepard's skin as she moved. It was hypnotizing. Her skin was fair and reminded her of the spring flowers on Thessia, no other living thing had the same coloration. And her head, the fringe was a different color, paler than her skin but caught the light like water caught the sun.

Her lips were red, and her eyes were...staring right at her and the edge was back.

"We should get you some clothing," Liara muttered hurriedly, embarrassment seeping into her very core.

Perhaps clothing would help both of them calm down.

* * *

Shepard watched as the blue alien fumbled around the bathroom, showing her how the water worked, where the towels were and soap. She tried not to show it, but Shepard was incredibly relieved that they still used water for showers. All she wanted to do was soak in a hot shower and wash the cryogenic residue from her skin.

The other woman put down some clothing by the sinks and began talking rapidly again, fumbling in what Shepard could only call embarrassment. Nerves translated across species and the purple tipped ears helped.

Watching the woman there was an air of awe around her. It was surprising giving the novelty of their relation, but Shepard had seen it before. _50,000 years ago_. This woman wasn't the first to sneak glances in her direction and struggle for words. She had seen many privates and servicemen look at her with that wide eyed look.

Logically, it shouldn't have surprised her. The others looked at her in shock, but this look was different. This woman looked at her like she _knew_ Shepard. It was just another reason to keep a close eye on the alien.

The alien that could pin her to the wall without even touching her.

Shepard closed her eyes and could feel the energy drifting over her skin, burning where it exerted pressure against her arms. It reminded her of the feeling of passing through the relays, like her body was accelerating even though she wasn't moving. She had never seen anything like it before.

Her eyes trailed over the woman looking for any signs of the blue energy but the bumbling alien was no threat right now, too absorbed in whatever she was talking about. Shepard didn't understand the smooth lyrical words anyways and the shower beckoned her softly from the back. Truthfully she wanted the alien gone. The day had worn her thin.

The woman continued to talk and Shepard reached the end of her patience. She started to strip, placing the black bra on the sink next to the other clothing. The small squeak she heard behind her indicated that the alien probably wasn't as comfortable as she was with open shower stalls. Basic training and ship life had effectively removed the awkwardness of public showers.

_Still..._

Shepard glanced over her shoulder at the blue woman, her whole face purple and her azure eyes wide.

_It would help if she didn't stare._

An eyebrow raise and a small cough finally got the alien's attention and she turned abruptly, muttering something to herself. Shepard almost felt bad for a moment and wondered if the other two aliens would have been more composed.

Somehow, she felt like this was all the privacy she was going to get so she finished get undressed, placing her underwear and hair tie with the bra. Shaking the tight bun from her head, her hair fell awkwardly, crinkling under her hand due to the residue from the cryopod.

Stepping under the spray, Shepard instantly felt more human. The dirt washed away and for a moment she could forget; forget the alien by the door, forget the fate of humanity, forget how much time had passed.

The door opened and closed with a hiss. Shepard turned surprised, but not unpleasantly so, to find the alien woman had left. Finally alone, she let herself relax, as much as she could with the day's events.

The water beat down on her stiff muscles and she rolled her shoulders feeling a few knots melt away. The soap the woman had let for her was sweet and unlike anything she had ever smelt before.

_Alien_.

Frustrated with her swirling thoughts Shepard slammed her hand into the wall. The impact that ran up her arm was sobering. Turning off the water with a furious twist she ran a tired hand through her wet hair.

_Get your head on straight._

There were more important things to think about: how far along the Reapers were, where to get armor and guns, and how the hell she was going to talk to this crew.

Quickly she prioritized a list in her head, starting with getting dressed. She reached over for her skivvies, but they were gone. So was her hair tie. All that was left was a green and white dress and no bra.

_Perfect._

* * *

**Location Oma Ker - 2186 CE**

Brutus Kuril stared at the dead turians at his feet with disgust. It had been a simple mission: retrieve information on the Crucible. The information was locked, but they found a key: The Shepard. Something about it had caught Saren's attention and he wanted it, badly.

This 'Shepard', whatever it was, apparently had attracted someone else as well.

Kuril opened a line to Saren, "It's me," He said, kicking the soldier over. The head rolled to the side awkwardly and the glowing eyes stared back at him, "It's not here."

"And the data?" Saren's voice drifted over the line.

The turian glanced over dead terminal, "Gone."

The growl that answered him spoke of promise. "Find it."

"I will." _Or else._

* * *

**The **_**Intrepid**_** - 2186 CE**

"Councilor Sparatus," Garrus said with hands clasped tightly behind his back. The two of them didn't have the best history together - years of distrust, political posturing, and hiding evidence - but with the start of the Reaper War they created a begrudging respect for one and other.

"Vakarian," He nodded, his blue form shimmering over the the QEC. "There has been a development with the Salarians."

"What kind of 'development'?"

"Dalatrass Linron wants to hold a peace summit. She won't admit it, but salarian interests are being lost. It's only a matter of time before the Reapers turn their attacks on the Sur'Kesh."

"So she's looking for help now?"

"Yes."

Garrus shook his head._ Allies are only allies when they needed something from you_, "What do you need me to do?"

"The Primarch has made it off Menae, barely," The councilor growled, "The ship arrived heavily damaged and they are in need of a new one. The _Intrepid_ is the fastest ship in the fleet and with your stealth capabilities it's the safest. You will host the summit."

_That's not all. _"What aren't you telling me?" Garrus pushed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sparatus stared him down, but finally crumbled, "Fedorian," He hissed, "Wants to include the krogans in the summit."

That surprised Garrus. The salarians and krograns never got along, unless you counted Grunt and Mordin, but that didn't always go smoothly. "Really?"

"Yes, and the strongest clan has responded to his request - Clan Urdnot."

_Ah, there it was_. "Wrex."

"Yes._ Urdnot Wrex _. Keep him under control."

Garrus smirked, "You don't keep him 'under control.'"

"I don't care Vakarian." Sparatus snapped, "Whatever happens we _need_ salarian support. The asari have already backed out. They heard about the krogans. If the Dalatrass wasn't so desperate she wouldn't even been coming."

"I'll do my best."

The councilor nodded. "Good. The Primarch is counting on you. We all are."

* * *

Liara looked over some of the texts that EDI had pulled for the translation program. Some she agreed with, but many had been debunked years before. Her language professor would probably laugh at her for considering some of the books, but with an actual human here...what if everything they knew was wrong?

Tarquin sat down across from her, holding onto a warm tisane and clearly a bit uncomfortable. She looked at him over the top of the data pad patiently waiting for him to say something. He opened his mouth once, but then promptly shut it again.

Putting down the pad and crossing her arms Liara softly asked, "How did the talk with the councilor go?"

"I wasn't...I mean...well. It went well. I guess."

Liara sighed. He was a good soldier, but still a bit uncertain, especially after the incident at the Chatti Outpost. She had heard all about it - his father raised him to Lieutenant and gave him command of the 9th platoon. His record was strong, but many people questioned his ability to lead saying that his father had advanced him too soon. Then the 9th platoon went to investigate the Collector attacks in the Terminus System, but couldn't protect both the civilians and the intel. He had to make a choice.

He chose the intel.

Looking over the report Liara agreed that had been the right decision, but Tarquin clearly questioned himself, especially since Garrus took down the Collectors before the intel had been of any use. He had been a strong leader, but losing so many for basically nothing had undermined his confidence in a serious way.

"Was there something I could do for you," She pressed as he continued to fidget.

"The human - Shepard - she...it...well," He paused and breathed deeply, "I was surprised she was so...well like you."

Liara smiled. _So was I._ "What had you been expecting?"

"Collectors."

"Ah." She hadn't actually _seen_ them, but she knew what they were - slaves to the Reapers born from eons of forced experimentation on humans.

He sighed and stared at his drink, "I know it's stupid, but when you first brought her on board and Commander Vakarian said she was human...well, I couldn't really process it. Humans and Collectors are different, I know, but I hadn't really been able to separate them in my mind after..."

"After you found out what the Collectors really were." Liara finished. Tarquin nodded. "What did they look like?"

"Much flatter," He smirked, "Bare heads, not that shiny fringe. All tall with more muscle. And no eyes just...blackness."

Liara shivered, "That sounds..."

"Terrifying?"

She nodded.

"And nothing like Shepard...right?"

Smiling she nodded again, "Right. Shepard's not particularly terrifying, well, unless you're Nihlus. I think she might have scared him a bit."

"Liar," Came the deep dual tone voice from behind. Liara turned and smiled innocently up at the turian in question as he came to sit next to her. Gone was the heavy armor from earlier and in its place was a set of practical civilian clothing. Being a Spectre he didn't have a uniform like the rest of the crew, but he still opted to wear something besides blood stained armor around the ship, per Garrus' request actually. Apparently his Spectre status in combination with all those bullet holes made some of the crew uneasy.

"She's only human and bleeds like the rest of us." He said crossing his arms and glaring playfully at the asari.

"Are you sure? With those skills we might never know what color blood she has"

Nihlus smirked and leaned in closer to her, "Do you want to know? I'd be _happy_ to get you a sample." Liara smiled and pushed him back, "Where is she by the way?"

"Still in the shower," she said blush rising to her cheeks. _And I just stopped thinking about that too._

"Not any more," Tarquin mumbled over the tisane he had raised to his lips. The ceramic cup sat there as his eyes widened at the sight. Liara and Nihlus turned to see her, still slightly wet but dressed.

And apparently angry.

As soon as she got to the table she started gesturing and talking fast. Liara blinked, but couldn't focus on the words. She was in awe of Shepard's fringe. It had changed shape and was down around her shoulders. The woman kept running her hands through it to keep it from her face as she gestured to other regions. She had thought it was hard likes the turian's and asari's, but it most certainly was _not_.

Was it as sensitive as theirs?

Tucking some of the still dripping locks behind her ear, Shepard's display finally ended with an annoyed look.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Tarquin said. Liara glanced at him and saw his eyes firmly fixed on the constantly changing head of the woman. Bending a turian's fringe in anyway was excruciatingly painful. No wonder he was a bit perturbed.

But she was fascinated.

Looking back on the next few minutes, Liara had to admit it had been stupid. Incredibly so. She had seen what Shepard was capable of planetside and their current truce, as fragile as it was, gave her no right to _touch_ the soldier, but she did. Liara reached over to touch the limp locks curiously. There weren't any other species that she had ever seen with such flexible structures, and like everything else concerning Shepard, she seemed drawn to them.

As her finger brushed them, Shepard's hand darted out and grabbed hers. The sharp twist brought Liara to her knees in a fast and painful movement. Ligaments strained and tendons pulled, but only to the breaking point and not beyond. She gasped in shock and pain, barely registering the clipped words coming from the human.

* * *

It had been an instinctual reaction. The blue alien had moved in the corner of her vision, reaching out and _touching_ her hair. Anything moving in her peripheral vision in a hostile environment was automatically a threat, especially if it was moving towards her. Reflexes like that were what kept her alive this long.

Not a good way to make friends though.

Before she could register an apology the spiked alien with the white markings had moved. He grasped her wrist and pulled her off the blue one and she let him. It wouldn't do well to start a fight now with so many uncertainties.

At least that was what her logical mind had said. Her pride however said something completely different as he pulled her towards him, twisting her wrist as he spoke. She had no idea what he said, but from the way his grip tightened on her wrist she knew it was meant to be intimidating.

But she was Commander Shepard and she would not be threatened.

Stepping forward she rose her knee quickly with every intention of kneeing him in the gut, but the dress got in the way inhibiting her movements. She stumbled forward a bit and he took advantage of her clothing malfunction and pinned her to his chest.

If any of her old crew could see this..._God, Joker would have a field day._

* * *

They were face to face and Shepard stared back at Nihlus, her eyes narrowing as he smirked. The dress had gotten in the way and though most people hadn't noticed it, he certainly had and took advantage of it. The hold he had on her was tenuous at best and he moved to readjust and finish the battle but Shepard clearly wasn't in the mood. Dropping down, the dress bunched around her thighs and she swept a leg forward catching Nihlus' ankle causing him to stumble backwards. As he fell she twisted under his arm and righted herself. With a firm pull her hand was free and Nihlus was on his ass - again.

_I hate her._

* * *

Shepard looked up from the spiked alien who was clearly angry over her handling of the blue lady. He was protective of her. _Interesting_. She would have to be cautious. He was fast and clearly well trained. That combined with a quick temper could be explosive.

Hair had fallen in her eyes and she glared softly at the offending locks. This wouldn't of happened if the blue one hadn't taken her hair tie. Or her underwear. God she hated this dress.

Crossing her arms she stared at the alien on the floor daring him to make another move.

He's not that stupid.

No...wait. He was.

* * *

_I hate her._

_I hate her._

_I hate her._

It had become a mantra as he glared at her from his position at her feet. Every bone in his body told him to stop, to let it be. It was clearly a miscommunication that would be rectified in the morning. All the threat he had witnessed the moment before had gone from her body and now she was focused on him with a condescending stare.

His pride yelled for him to get up and kick her ass. Garrus wouldn't approve of his XO's behavior. _He_ wouldn't have approved of his behavior, but all logic was driven from his mind with the half smirk Shepard gave him.

With a snarl Nihlus barreled into her driving the two of them to the floor. His spurs got tangled in the fabric of the dress, but it also helped to keep her legs confined. He pulled back an arm to punch her in the face, but it sailed right as she dodged it and connected hard with the floor.

In the back of his mind he could hear Liara's protests, but he was too focused now the woman below him and his wounded pride.

The crack of fist against the metal floor was loud in her ear. It grazed her cheek and she could feel the raw skin redden with inflammation. If he didn't want to end this, then so be it. Clearly he needed a good beating and she was in the mood to give one.

Her hands were free and she grabbed the sides of his head holding it in place as she head butted him right between the eyes. His face was harder than hers and it sent her skull ringing for a moment, but a broken nose was always worse. He cursed and pulled back as blue blood spurted from the injury.

His distraction was her advantage and she shimmied the dress up, willing herself to focus on the fight and not the fact that she was going to give everyone watching a show. Her legs now free flexed and bucked her hips up and him off of her. She jumped up and grabbed him - one arm on the cowl and the other on his arm - hauling him to his feet and towards the wall.

A load roar caused her to pause just enough for another person - the spiked alien with the blue markings - to pull them apart.

* * *

"ENOUGH!" Garrus bellowed, peeling the two away from each other. He had already been heading towards the mess hall when EDI informed him about the altercation between Nihlus and Shepard, but whatever he had been expecting it wasn't Nihlus about to be thrown through the med bay windows.

Glaring at both of them he snapped, "What the fuck is going on here?" He shook Nihlus slightly as the other turian stared at him through tear filled eyes, but said nothing. Garrus turned his piercing gaze at the human but relented when he realized he would get nothing out of her.

"Don't think you're getting out of this just because you can't understand me," Garrus snarled at Shepard as he let her go. The woman cocked her hip and crossed her arms not even trying to look innocent.

"It was my fault," Liara spoke up, "I was just curious about her fringe. It's so...flexible."

"Disgusting is more like it," Tarquin murmured to her right. Garrus shot him a look that shut him up immediately.

Liara continued, "She lashed out at me and Nihlus intervened. I don't think she would have hurt me."

"How do you know?" Nihlus spat.

"That's enough!" Garrus roared still holding his friend tightly by the cowl. The other turian finally relaxed and turned his gaze downward; a sign of submission, "Until we get that translation program up and running, do _not_ touch the human."

Liara stepped forward, "But Garrus-"

"No buts Liara. You're lucky she didn't break your arm, or worse your neck. She's a soldier, not a pet or experiment."

"I wasn't..."

Garrus finally let go of Nihlus and tossed him one of the Mess Sergeant's cleaning rags, "And get her out of that dress. I don't think it's helping to make her feel comfortable."

"What do you want me to get her?" Liara said annoyed, "I don't have anything else that will fit her, she's smaller than me and that won't do with armor."

"Nihlus," Garrus said turning, "Clothing."

"What? Why?" The other turian protested, pulling the now blood soaked rag away from his face.

"Consider it a peace offering. I have a feeling that if I let her she would have smashed your face through the med bay window. She still might. Spirits, _I _still might." He snarled. Nihlus glared for a moment and then pushed past him for the crew quarters.

Garrus stared back over his shoulder at Shepard, whatever information she held better be worth all of this.

* * *

Shepard stared at herself in the mirror.

She had been surprised when the alien with the white markings (and broken nose) handed her a new set of clothing. His mandibles had flared and he bared his teeth with a hiss, but nothing more under the watchful eye of his commander.

The clothing fit horribly, but if she rolled up the sleeves and the pant legs, they would do. The large opening for their head and cowl meant that the neck was enormous, but if she angled it just right, it drapped off a shoulder and didn't show much cleavage. Not bad but not great and still better than the dress.

Now if she could just get a bra.

"Apparently," She lamented to her reflection, "In this cycle there is no underwear in outer space."


End file.
